Interpersonal and mass media communication: Political learning in New Hampshire's first‐in‐the‐nation presidential primary

Abstract

This article examines voters’ attentiveness to the news media and participation in political discussions during the New Hampshire presidential primary. Differences in exposure to these intermediaries are explored in an effort to identify where different voters turn for political information. While political attentiveness is strongly correlated with political discussions, attentiveness to the news media is better explained by demographic differences. Thus, there is a motivational difference that has important implications for understanding how voters obtain and process political information. Specifically, the results presented in this study suggest that political learning occurs most effectively through social interaction with personal intermediaries. Voters have more contact with the mass media than with personal networks. But when salient political cues are not available to voters through the mass media, personal networks provide the most attentive voters with an opportunity for political learning through an exchange of information and opinions.